CNN commercials boost Hanoi’s foreign tourist arrivals

The US$2 million deal between Hanoi and the US television network CNN from 2017 – 2018 has spurred international tourist arrivals to the capital city over the past year.

TV commercials aired by CNN have been introducing the best of the 1,000-year-old capital to people around the world since early 2017, sparking an interest in the city among foreigners.

Last year, CNN broadcasted two TV promotional videos – “Hanoi – Heart of Vietnam” and “Hanoi – Cradle of Heritage” on its cable television network and online platforms across Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. Both videos feature Australian travel writer and blogger Phoebe Lee exploring the city’s most popular attractions.

Audience can experience the charms of Hanoi through the lens of local photographers on CNN’s #MyHanoi series and also see the capital city from a different point of view on the network’s Hanoi POV programme.

In 2018, “Hanoi – Heart of Vietnam” and “Hanoi – Cradle of Heritage” will continue to be aired by CNN alongside the newly-released ad “Hanoi – History, Culture, People.”

These promotional clips have had an impact on the public. A recent survey by the UK’s research consultancy, BDRC Continental, showed 62% of CNN viewers remember the promotional videos about Hanoi. Among them, 94 percent said they developed an interest in Hanoi as a holiday destination. The survey also found that 17% of the respondents who regularly watched CNN would be likely to travel to Hanoi, higher than non-regular viewers.

Hanoi has been welcoming an increasing number of holidaymakers. In 2017, international tourist arrivals to the city were estimated at 4.95 million, up 23% from the previous year and 15% higher than its yearly target. The number included 3.53 million accommodated visitors, a year-on-year increase of 22%.

In the first half of this year, the capital received more than 3 million foreign arrivals, including more than 2.2 million accommodated tourists, up 26% and 27%, respectively, year-on-year.

Hanoi has also been well-received by overseas travel firms and magazines. The online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb has named the city among the world’s top 10 intriguing travel destinations in 2018 while the city made it to the list of the world’s top 13 destinations for international travellers in March based on a poll by readers of the US-based Business Insider magazine.

With average temperatures ranging from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius and colourful flowers blooming, Hanoi is a good place for visitors to spend time roaming around the old quarter, experiencing open-air eateries, and hearing the noise of whizzing motorbikes, Business Insider said. Hoan Kiem Lake provides a peaceful respite from the frenzy, as do numerous Buddhist temples and pagodas, it added.

Earlier this year, Hanoi also secured 12th place on the TripAdvisor list of the world’s top 25 destinations.

In June, the capital city claimed the Best Marketing Campaign Award for its innovative marketing campaign on CNN between 2017 and 2018 at the 8th Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia-Pacific Cities Forum held in Ho Chi Minh City.

The local Department of Tourism has proposed the city to expand the deal with CNN to 2019 – 2021.